Ben Kogan, a pacifist conscientious objector, was
sentenced to 21 days in military prison for refusing to
serve in the Israeli army. Ben appeared before the
military Conscience Committee in December, but was
rejected.

The rejection was based on a
distorted version of things said at the Committee. Upon his
arrival at the prison, Ben had to undergo a humiliating ritual
by other soldiers. Ben refused to wear a uniform in prison and
to refer to the prison commanders by their ranks. He was
therefore sent to solitary confinement and denied telephone
calls.

Ben has declared:

"I was very honest and direct in my
approach to the army, I told the truth all along about what I
believe and what I feel. I was sent to prison because I told the
truth, because I believe in something that they don't… I refused
on grounds of pacifism, because I believe that violence
undermines democracy… at the moment, the prison reinforces my
ideology, but it is tearing my soul apart."

Recommended Action
First of all, please circulate this message and the information
contained in it as widely as possible, not only through e-mail,
but also on websites, conventional media, by word of mouth, etc.

Other recommendations for action:

1. Sending Letters of Support

Please send Ben letters of support
(preferably postcards or by fax) to his prison address:

It would be especially useful to send your appeals to the
Commander of the Induction Base in Tel-HaShomer. It is this
officer that ultimately decides whether an objector is to be
exempted from military service or sent to another round in
prison, and it is the same officer who is ultimately in charge
of the military Conscience Committee:

For those of you who live outside Israel, it would be very
effective to send protests to your local Israeli embassy. You
can find the address of your local embassy
on the web.

Here is a sample letter, which
you can use, or better adapt, in sending appeals to authorities
on the prisoners' behalf:

Dear Sir/Madam,

It has come to my attention that
Ben Kogan, Military ID 5376779, a conscientious objector, has
been imprisoned for his refusal to perform military service, and
is held in Military Prison No. 6.

The
imprisonment of conscientious objectors such as Ben Kogan is a
violation of international law, of basic human rights and of
plain morals. I therefore call for the immediate and
unconditional release from prison of Ben Kogan, without threat
of further imprisonment in the future.

Sincerely,

3. Letters to media in Israel and in other countries

Writing op-ed pieces and letters to
editors of media in Israel and other countries could also be
quite useful in indirectly but powerfully pressuring the
military authorities to let go of the objectors and in bringing
their plight and their cause to public attention.